Oh, goodness! What mixed emotions! I knew I had been doing well overall and was feeling really good about that as I got AKQ in the GPS and took us back there, but I knew that the real test was to come: if the winds were as random and variable and gusty as they were when we left, the landings portion of the checkride was going to be a challenge! Plus, the possibility of the never-before-attempted forward-slip to a landing loomed...
As we got within ~10 miles of the airport, I dialed in the ASOS. Not good news. I don't remember the exact numbers now, but I do clearly remember the sinking feeling I got when I heard them. We'd be landing runway 2 in sketchy, variable, gusty conditions.
We were on the wrong side of the airport for downwind for 2, so I decided to cross mid-field and check out the wind triangle. At that particular moment, it was perpendicular to the runway, indicating a direct left crosswind. Ok, fine, but is that what it would be in another minute or two?
As I crossed the field, someone announced they were on downwind. Eek! We were a few hundred feet above pattern altitude, and had been listening to CTAF the whole time, but I certainly had my eyes on the ground while looking for and assessing the wind situation! My instant decision was to stay straight (direct perpendicular crossing would minimize the time we might be near each other), ascend a bit more, announce my position again, and look like crazy for the bogie. I asked Linda if she had the other plane, and after a few seconds she said she had them, they had just then turned from crosswind onto downwind, and by now we were past the downwind path he'd be taking. (It turns out it was a local pilot that she knows well -- was this a test?!?!)
After a moment to chill the heartbeat -- the scare of a mid-air collision on a checkride! -- I enacted the next step in the plan. Since I was high and heading away from the airport, I announced my position again and intention to do a right-360 (well, 270 really) while descending to pattern altitude to join up on downwind near midfield. That would also give the other plane time to get out ahead of us. By the time I got to downwind, we could see him well ahead on base.
Then Linda asked me to start with a soft-field landing. I know how to do one, but thinking that this would be one of those times to demonstrate conscientious use of a checklist, I pulled out the maneuver flipbook and turned to the right page. While I was calling out the list, it got choppy over the trees and I set the book down to do the aviate thing. She commented that we were a little too close to the ground anyway to be reading instead of flying. I felt a little embarassed. Oh well, shake it off and land...
Since the winds were all sketchy, I wanted to have a long enough final to assess and make decisions, so I extended my downwind a bit. It was bouncy all the way down, and I was right on target for the numbers, nose up, right past the road and next to the hangars. The mains touched down pretty gently, and then SLAP! The nose came down firmly. I immediately said that that definitely didn't qualify as a soft-field landing, though I had set it up pretty well, but I didn't know why the nose rotated down so dramatically unless the winds just gave out at that moment. She said that on a day like this, that wouldn't be surprising, but to go do it again.
Blech. Not off to a good start. I turned around at the mid-field turn and back-taxiied for 2. With a normal takeoff, I was back in the left pattern for another soft-field landing. This time around was much the same as the first, bumpy and a long final. This time, though, she told me to aim for just past the treeline as my touchdown point, which was maybe 1/5 of the way down the runway, so that the wind might be broken up some when I touch down and to carry a few extra mphs. I did so, and was pleased to have landed at her target, but it was still not as soft as I'm capable of doing. She asked me to turn around and back-taxi again, then do a short-field takeoff and landing. I guess that soft-field was good enough!
This time, before leaving the mid-field turnaround, I pulled out the checklist and scanned both the takeoff and the landing procedures. Again, I know them, but use of the checklist at an appropriate time... you know...
The short-field takeoff was typical. The short-field landing was crap! I bounced! OMG!!!! Bouncing on my checkride! My first touchdown was right on the numbers, as requested, but the second one was a little farther. Despite the bounce, I still stopped in a pretty damn short distance. But I was dying inside! I was so flunked! My mind flashed to having to tell Husband and Chuck that I did 5 hours of great work followed by the capstone terrifically horrible landing to cancel it all out! How miserable!
I powered up and got down to the turnaround, wanting to crawl under the seat and have a good cry, when Linda asked what went wrong. I flared late, maybe the shifty winds were hosing me again, .... She said she was pretty sure that the winds were the culprit (I think she sensed my withered insides and was being nice) and asked me to go up again for a forward-slip landing this time. As we back-taxiied, she talked about one of the benefits of more experience is the use of a touch of power to cushion a badly executed flare and also to give the subsequent landing after a bounce a chance of being soft.
I was listening with my ears, but my heart was still sinking. On the one hand, if that was bad enough to fail me, would she have told me to go again? On the other hand, with just one, maybe two landings left, was she just letting me get those out of the way so that when I had to come back for the retest I'd just have to do a short-field for her? And saving the one manuever that I've never, ever done for last! The torture of it all! Ok, so I'd be coming back to retest on two things... My inner child was sad.
But as I turned around for my takeoff, I snapped to and got back on the ball. Normal takeoff, and since she knew I had never slipped as part of a landing she coached me on downwind, emphasizing that staying aligned with the runway would be the biggest challenge today and to just feel it out and correct as necessary. As we got around toward base, she suggested aiming for the treeline and carrying a tad bit of extra airspeed. I set up my aim, set up the slip, descended, stayed aligned, got past the trees, and as I started to let out the slip I realized I was not going to make the 400' touchdown zone (starting from the beginning of the trees, anyway) but it would be close. Since I was going a little fast, we floated, and floated, and floated, and then had a firm (but bounceless!) touchdown. Except for the fact that it was so long, I was pretty happy with my first slipped-in landing. I could do it again and would do it better.
Even being long, we were able to turn out midfield. She told me to taxi back and park. NO! That must have clinched it! I had failed! I bounced the short-field landing and missed the landing zone for the forward slip. I had used up all of my second chances! :( :( :( :( :(
I don't think she could tell, but I was mortified and shaking as we went back to the terminal. I turned the plane around and parked facing the runway. As I did the shutdown checklist, she pointed out that a Diamond, flown by one of the high-hour local pilots, was coming in and said we'd watch and see how he handled the variable winds. He looked about like I had felt -- wings constantly bobbing around. He landed pretty long, too.
Linda: "Even the experienced pilots are having trouble today."
Me (dejected): "Yes, ma'am."
Linda: "With more time, you're landings will get better, even in conditions like these."
Me (morose): "Yes, ma'am."
Linda: "But you'll have plenty of time to practice now that you have your license to learn."
Me (dumbfounded): "I passed?!??!?!!"
Linda: "Well, yes, didn't you think so?"
Me (shocked): "Up until the landings I was sure of it, but they were so bad I wasn't so sure."
Linda: "They weren't graceful and you know what you need to work on, but you're a competent and safe pilot."
Me (clapping): "Yay!"
Seriously, I clapped. :)
She instructed me to finish my shutdown procedure while she went in and got started typing up my temporary license, then we'd debrief. I floated through the process and bounced -- the good kind of bouncing -- into the terminal.
Inside we went over points on the oral that I hadn't done so well on -- like confusing myself about whether there's Class G airspace directly over a Class E airport (there is). We went over the flight portion, too, and she really had only three things to say there: stall recovery always, always gets full power immediately, my landings need polish, and I need to work on flying with one hand more, especially in the pattern.
I had actually been working on keeping one hand on the throttle during the climb, and I generally did that naturally on final as well. My problem, however, is that when it's as choppy as it was that day, my instinct is to death-grip the yoke with both hands. It's either subconsciously for my own comfort or to add some balance/stability to an unstable situation. In any case, she called me on that and I'll work on it.
I FREAKIN' PASSED! I'm a private pilot! :)
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